The invention relates to auxiliary contact configurations for a switching device.
Switching devices are equipment used for opening and closing a current circuit. A switching device comprises at least one pole and a control device arranged to open and close the pole. Switching devices include e.g. switches and switch-fuses. Switching devices often comprise auxiliary contacts arranged to open and close e.g. locking, alarming, position indication and auxiliary current circuits. Auxiliary contacts are adapted for currents substantially lower than said at least one pole of a switching device. Auxiliary contacts are controlled by an auxiliary contact control device which, in turn, is usually controlled by the same control device as used for controlling the poles of the switching device.
An auxiliary contact configuration may comprise an auxiliary contact, which is in its first switching position when the control device for the switching device is in a 0-position or in a I-position, and in its second switching position when the control device for the switching device is in a testing position. Alternatively, the auxiliary contact configuration may comprise e.g. an auxiliary contact, which is in its first switching position when the control device for the switching device is in the 0-position, and in its second switching position when the control device for the switching device is in the I-position or in the testing position. A desired change of position of each auxiliary contact of the switching device between its first and second switching position is achieved by designing the auxiliary contact control device appropriately.
A problem with the above-described arrangement is that the auxiliary contact control device has to be designed differently for different configurations, depending on the way in which each auxiliary contact is to change its position between the first and the second position.